{"id":10859,"date":"2026-03-11T08:40:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10859"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T21:16:32","slug":"march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/","title":{"rendered":"March 15, 2026 &#8211; Seeing God&#8217;s Light Beyond Appearances"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><b>Pre<\/b><b>pare<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Samuel thinks he knows what a king should look like: strong, tall, impressive. Yet, God challenges him on this notion, declaring, \u201cThe Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.\u201d This same theme of seeing beyond appearances in John 9 emerges when Jesus heals a man born blind and invites everyone present to reconsider what true sight really means.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What should be a moment of joy becomes a debate. The disciples assume someone must have sinned. The neighbors doubt what they see. The religious leaders question the miracle itself. Everyone believes they understand the situation; however, Jesus suggests they may be the ones who cannot see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blindness in this Gospel is not just physical. It is spiritual; certainty that closes off curiosity, and assumption that prevents compassion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lent invites us to examine our own vision. Where might we be confident in what we see \u2014 yet missing something deeper? What assumptions do we hold that shape how we view others? What would it mean to let Christ reshape the way we see?<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Opening Exercise<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tell of a time you formed a quick opinion about someone but later realized you were wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What changed your perspective?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why do we tend to make snap judgments?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what ways are people judged by appearance today? (Clothing, social media, background, politics, ability, reputation.)<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Transition to the text<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: In today\u2019s Gospel, many people think they see clearly \u2014 but Jesus reveals something deeper.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Text Read Aloud<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?passage=1%20Samuel%2016:1,6-7,10-13\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1 Samuel 16:6\u20137, 11\u201313; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?passage=John+9:1-41\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John 9:1\u20137, 24\u201325, 39\u201341<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b><i>Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson: Seeing the Whole Story<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When news spread of<a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/obituaries\/2026\/02\/17\/rev-jesse-jackson-civil-rights-leader-rainbow-push-obituary\"> the death of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.<\/a>, people across the country began sharing memories. Political leaders, clergy, activists, and community members reflected on his decades of advocacy and his call to \u201ckeep hope alive.\u201d Many lifted up his work for voting rights, economic justice, and human dignity. Others remembered moments of controversy or disagreement. As often happens when a public figure dies, stories surfaced: some celebratory, some critical, many complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10861\" style=\"width: 238px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10861\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10861\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-250x329.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-266x350.jpg 266w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-10861\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ethiopian Icon<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Public leaders rarely remain just people. Over time, they become symbols. Headlines reduce long lives into a few defining moments. Social media compresses decades into a sentence or a meme. It becomes easy to see only one angle of a life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But every human story is more than a headline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rev. Jackson was shaped by the Black church and the civil rights movement. He preached before he organized. He marched before he ran for office. His faith fueled his public life. Like any leader who speaks boldly about justice, he experienced both admiration and criticism. His life, like all lives, held courage and imperfection, conviction and growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moments of remembrance invite us to pause and ask: What do we choose to see when we look at someone\u2019s life? Do we focus only on the moment that confirms what we already believe? Do we allow space for complexity? Or do we prefer a simpler version?<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8211;<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In John 9, a man\u2019s healing should have been simple good news. Instead, it becomes interrogation. People question the man, his parents, and even Jesus. Everyone seems certain about what they are seeing. Yet, they miss the deeper truth unfolding before them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The irony is sharp. The man who once could not see begins to recognize who Jesus is. Those who claim spiritual clarity refuse to see at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blindness in this story is not about eyesight. It is about assumption. It is about protecting our version of the story rather than remaining open to transformation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we remember leaders like Rev. Jackson, we are invited into that same self-examination. It is easy to reduce a life to a headline or a meme. It is harder to hold a whole story with humility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 1 Samuel, we are reminded that \u201cthe Lord does not see as mortals see.\u201d God looks deeper \u2014 into motives, into wounds, into growth, into the long arc of a life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To live as \u201cchildren of light,\u201d as Ephesians says, is not simply to shine. It is to see clearly. It is to allow Christ to challenge our assumptions and widen our vision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The miracle in John 9 is not only that a man gains sight. The greater invitation is that we might, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reflection Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Who do you identify with most in this story and why?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In John 9 who do you think is blind?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What shapes how you see public figures or leaders? How do media and culture influence your view?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where do you see spiritual blindness today?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What might it look like to see others the way God sees them?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where in your life are you asking Christ for clearer vision?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Closing Activity: If God Made the Meme<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the article, we noticed how lives can be reduced to headlines \u2014 even memes. Memes are quick and shareable, but they simplify something complex into one image and one caption. Sometimes we do the same thing with people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For this activity, imagine God creating a meme about you.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not your friends.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not social media.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not your worst day.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If God were the author \u2014 looking at your whole story \u2014 what would the caption say?<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remember: God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16). God sees the full story, not just a single moment. God sees courage forming, kindness growing, gifts emerging.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Create a simple meme on paper or your phone. Draw a quick image or write a caption.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cStill growing. Still loved.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBraver than you think.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWork in progress. Masterpiece in motion.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLight shining, even on hard days.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBeloved. No filter needed.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Afterward, invite volunteers to share if they are comfortable. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Was it hard or easy to imagine God speaking kindly about you?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How is God\u2019s view different from the world\u2019s quick judgments?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Prayer<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">God of light,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You see what we cannot. When we reduce ourselves or others to simple labels, YOU see the whole story. Open our eyes. Clear our vision. Help us see others \u2013 and ourselves \u2013 through your mercy and truth. Teach us to live as children of your light.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through Jesus, the Light of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Bio<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rev. Michael Jannett serves as pastor of Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Grayson, Georgia. He brings 25 years of experience in youth ministry and faith formation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-10727\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1536x827.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-250x135.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-650x350.png 650w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png 1950w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prepare Samuel thinks he knows what a king should look like: strong, tall, impressive. Yet, God challenges him on this notion, declaring, \u201cThe Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.\u201d This same theme of seeing beyond appearances in John 9 emerges when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>March 15, 2026 - Seeing God&#039;s Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"March 15, 2026 - Seeing God&#039;s Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"789\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"pastorcogan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"pastorcogan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"pastorcogan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\"},\"headline\":\"March 15, 2026 &#8211; Seeing God&#8217;s Light Beyond Appearances\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1061,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/\",\"name\":\"March 15, 2026 - Seeing God's Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\"},\"description\":\"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"March 15, 2026 &#8211; Seeing God&#8217;s Light Beyond Appearances\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Lens\",\"description\":\"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\",\"name\":\"pastorcogan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"pastorcogan\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/author\\\/pastorcogan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"March 15, 2026 - Seeing God's Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens","description":"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"March 15, 2026 - Seeing God's Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens","og_description":"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":789,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"pastorcogan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"pastorcogan","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/"},"author":{"name":"pastorcogan","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e"},"headline":"March 15, 2026 &#8211; Seeing God&#8217;s Light Beyond Appearances","datePublished":"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/"},"wordCount":1061,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg","articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/","name":"March 15, 2026 - Seeing God's Light Beyond Appearances - Faith Lens","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e"},"description":"How do we judge others by appearances? John 9 invites us to see with Christ\u2019s light and discover the deeper story God sees.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/blind-bart-ethiopian-icon-228x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-15-2026-seeing-gods-light-beyond-appearances\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"March 15, 2026 &#8211; Seeing God&#8217;s Light Beyond Appearances"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/","name":"Faith Lens","description":"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e","name":"pastorcogan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"pastorcogan"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/author\/pastorcogan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10859"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10865,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10859\/revisions\/10865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}